Collins Lane Elementary School Principal Sharla Six was recently appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear to serve on the Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Grant Steering Committee, which oversees fund allocation for the Read to Achieve Grant across the state. Six, who is in her second year as principal at Collins Lane, recently sat down with State Journal reporter Scott Unger to discuss the committee and the importance of reading and reading intervention for Kentucky's youth.
Can you give an overview of the Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Grant Steering Committee?
It was created in 1999 to help with the administration of what used to be called the Early Reading Program. The committee makes sure that schools that apply for grants get money to help with intervention programs. So this group of people, they created all the grant requirements that the schools had to adhere to. They actually created the whole process that schools go through to apply and then they help select the schools that will be funded for this state money. It's just the overseeing of the Read to Achieve Grant.
Do you also look at programs?
The committee is supposed to identify needs, trends and issues in schools throughout the state regarding reading and literacy. We have a Read to Achieve Grant at Collins Lane but I'm not sure how many more schools need funding in the state, but really the work of the committee involves those funds.
How did you get selected for the position?
It was an application process. I was made aware that there would be folks named to the committee and I thought I would apply and see what happened. What's interesting is that when I moved to Frankfort in '99 and worked at the Department of Education, part of my job was to facilitate the work of this group. So I was on that side of the fence providing what they needed to make decisions. Now I'm on the other side of the fence in a different role.
Why is reading emphasized over other subjects for elementary students?
I think we need to believe that reading is the foundation. If a child struggles to read, they will struggle to do other subjects. If they can read and comprehend they can do well in other subjects. Really, they need the foundation and that's why it's a program for K through 3 students so we can start early, intervene early.
How would you go about choosing schools that receive grants, what kind of criteria is it based on?
They do a grant application and they have to provide a comprehensive plan that shows how, in every grade, they're going to intervene with kids who are struggling. They have to provide matching funds to a certain amount. So, if the state gives them a $65,000 grant, they have to show where the district is going to commit to that same effort so that it's not just state funds. Their proposal has to include a number of things. It has to show that they are working toward meeting kids' needs at every grade level in K " 3. They have to select a research-based program, and that's where sometimes people debate what a research-based program is.
What exactly does "research-based' mean?
There are certain requirements to be called research-based. The research must be in a peer review journal. What defines "research' I say is highly debatable because there are lots of people who disagree on what is researched-based and what is proven effective. That's why the results, the schools being able to show results, and show growth and show that they move kids from point A to point B is very important.
What are some of the newer strategies for teaching literacy?
I really believe that teaching reading is about the five components of reading. We used to look at phonics. There was a heavy emphasis on phonics. Now we think about phonemic awareness a little bit more. We also think about your fluency and your vocabulary, as those improve, your comprehension will improve. It starts out with kids in preschool and kindergarten. We work with phonemic awareness types of skills and then we move to phonic and then we also at the same time are working on improving vocabulary and helping kids to have their eyes on text and practicing.
On a larger scale, are illiteracy and reading rates a growing problem in Kentucky and America?
I really think we've put a lot of resources at the state and federal level for reading and I think it's showing up. I think it's doing what it needs to do. Do we always need to do more? Probably. I do think all the attention that we're giving kids in that aspect, I think that's working for kids.
With the recent cuts in Franklin County there's been a lot of layoffs in the literacy program. How are you coping with those cuts?
We are doing everything we can to make sure that we continue with our literacy program. We did receive the cuts, and the cuts hurt, but we're going to find a way to make sure our kids don't feel that pinch. Teachers will have to start taking on some of the additional groups that our literacy assistants did in the past and that's okay. We will just find a way to make sure our literacy program stays in tact.
Is there a certain type of school that really benefits from these grants and is there enough funding to go around?
All schools have struggling readers. Even successful schools like Collins Lane. We still have struggling kids. Every school is eligible for these funds. (In the past) we would make sure that we took care of all different types of schools and really tried to make sure that the funds were evenly distributed. I know there are usually two rounds (of funding) a year, they've changed a few things but their goal a couple of years ago was to make sure that these funds were in every school in the state. That's the ultimate goal, that these state funds are placed in every school.